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Tarpons win thriller at Vandebilt

Tarpons win thriller at Vandebilt

The South Lafourche football team wears the same shirt under their uniforms each game.

It’s a black T-shirt with the words “Four Quarter Party” written in block font across the front.

Vandebilt Catholic found out exactly what the shirt stands for on Friday night.

The Terriers led South Lafourche 31-18 at halftime – a score that held until the fourth quarter of play. But in those final 12 minutes, the Tarpons shined brightest, scoring 14-straight points to secure a thrilling, one-point 32-31 win.

The victory moves South Lafourche to 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in district play. Vandebilt drops to 2-5 and 1-1 in district in defeat.

“What a great high school football game,” South Lafourche football coach Dennis Skains said. “I’m so proud of the kids. We were down and we just told them, ‘Look, this isn’t the first time you’ve faced adversity this season.’

They responded, battled back and found a way to get a win. We have leaders on this team and that leadership showed tonight.”

The Terriers were on fire early.

Vandebilt dominated all three phases of the game early, using tough, physical blocking on both the offensive and defensive lines to control the first two quarters.

The Terriers scored first, turning an early Tarpons fumble into a short field goal and a 3-0 lead.

After a quick punt, Vandebilt scored again – a one-play touchdown drive on a 55-yard run from Terriers senior quarterback David Yancey. After an extra point, the Terriers led 10-0 midway through the first quarter.

“They outplayed us and outcoached us in the beginning,” Skains said. “Give them credit. They played well.”

The rest of the first half was about even on the scoreboard with both teams scoring three touchdowns a piece.

The difference was the Terriers made all three extra points, while the Tarpons made none, which sent the game to halftime with Vandebilt on top 31-18.

Anthony Sigue scored the Tarpons first touchdown – a drive aided by a long double pass from Kyle Angeron to Luke Guidry.

Angeron then got into the act as a receiver, hauling in a deep touchdown grab from quarterback Jaydon Cheramie late in the second quarter.

Cheramie, himself, scored a first-half score on a 45-yard touchdown scamper – the team’s final touchdown of the half.

“I thought offensively, we were good all game,” Skains said. “We just needed to get it going defensively to keep the ball in their hands.”

They did.

In the second half, the Tarpons defense settled in, shutting the Terriers out for 24-straight minutes.

Penalties plagued South Lafourche’s offense from scoring in the third quarter, which sent the game to the fourth still knotted at 31-18.

But in the fourth, the Tarpons broke the ice.

On a fourth and goal play from the 14-yard-line, Cheramie hit sophomore halfback Corbin Allen on a wheel route – a critical touchdown that cut the lead to 31-25.

After a defensive stand, the Tarpons moved the ball again – a long drive capped by a 2-yard run by Allen. After Brannon Lee’s extra point, the Tarpons led 32-31 with three minutes to play.

In those final three minutes, the Terriers tried twice to drive down the field for a last-second score. But the Tarpons defense wasn’t having any of it. They stiffened both times to seal the victory.

Skains said he doesn’t have an answer for why his team played so much better in the second half, but he’s sure glad that they rode some four-quarter party magic to a win.

“It wasn’t some magic speech or pep talk,” Skains said. “We just got some rest at halftime, made some minor tweaks and played better football. We woke up from our daze and played great football.”

The Tarpons will take on Ellender next – a game that will be played on Thursday at South Terrebonne.

TROJANS FALL AT DESTREHAN

When facing a team as good as Destrehan, one has to play a near-perfect game to walk away with a win.

The Central Lafourche football team didn’t do that, and the mistakes cost the Trojans a shot at victory on Friday night.

Central battled hard and played the Wildcats tough – trailing just 17-7 at halftime. But in the end, it was Destrehan’s defense that was the story in a 31-7 Wildcats win. The Trojans fall to 4-3 on the season in defeat.

“We played hard – our effort wasn’t the question,” Trojans coach Keith Menard said. “Destrehan is just a great football team. We had some chances – especially early, and we didn’t take advantage. In the second half, their big kids played at a different level, and we just couldn’t match up.”

Destrehan started strong on Friday night, taking the opening kickoff and going straight down the field in nine plays on a touchdown drive capped by a pass from quarterback Kohen Granier to Tremaine Washington for a 7-0 Destrehan lead.

After a defensive struggle for the rest of the first quarter, Central Lafourche tied the game up, using a Wildcats fumble to set up a 28-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Austin Aucoin to receiver Kenneth Poindexter.

On the next drive, the Trojans were about to get the ball back, but Granier evaded a rush and threw a deep pass that was deflected twice before ending up in receiver John Williams hands. He hauled in the pass and scored to make the game 14-7.

The Wildcats added a field goal before halftime to lead 17-7 after two quarters.

“That long pass killed us,” Menard said. “It was a fluky play, and it was the turning point in the game. That demoralized us.”

In the second half, the Trojans defense stayed stiff, but the team’s offense couldn’t get anything going.

The Wildcats scored midway through the third quarter and early in the fourth to push the game to its final margin.

The Trojans will take on Hahnville on Friday in Mathews.

Menard said he expects a close, hard-fought game.

“Our fans will show up and it’ll be a packed house with two good football teams on the field,” Menard said.